Yesterday, AMD reported a massive theft of its GPU IP in the form of source code which had been stolen and posted by the hacker over at Github & has also been posted to other sites that include TorrentFreak & 4Chan. The hacker who goes by the name of Palesa (not sure if that’s even his/her real name), reported to TorrentFreak that the information is worth at least $100 million since the source code includes information for AMD’s current & next-generation GPUs including Navi 21, 10 and Adren (Xbox Series X).

Although the information hasn’t been posted yet, the source code is very critical for AMD as it not only contains information for current-generation GPUs such as the RDNA 1 based Navi 10 GPU but also its next-generation GPUs, the RDNA 2 based Navi 21 and the Adren SOC for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X. Not only would this breach result in a negative impact on the competitiveness of AMD’s GPU products but also damage the security aspects of a product which would be housed in more than a million devices in the coming years.

AMD has since posted a public statement of the theft of its Graphics IP:

At AMD, data security and the protection of our intellectual property are a priority. In December 2019, we were contacted by someone who claimed to have test files related to a subset of our current and future graphics products, some of which were recently posted online, but have since been taken down.

While we are aware the perpetrator has additional files that have not been made public, we believe the stolen graphics IP is not core to the competitiveness or security of our graphics products. We are not aware of the perpetrator possessing any other AMD IP.

We are working closely with law enforcement officials and other experts as a part of an ongoing criminal investigation. – AMD

The hacker has since posted the 2nd update on Github after her first post was removed. What she is referring to as an unexpected achievement since the information was taken from a completely unprotected server. TorrentFreak reported that the hacker had first contacted them and reported that the information was worth at least $100 million, however, in the latest update, the hacker has reported that she is not asking for $100 million and if anyone at AMD wants to settle it down with her for money, they can contact her at her email.

“If I get no buyer I will just leak everything,” the leaker concluded, adding that the files would be secured with passwords that will only be handed out to select individuals.

The source code of several AMD GPU IPs including RDNA 1 based Navi 10 and RDNA 2 based Navi 21 & Adren SOC for Xbox Series X have been stolen with hacker threatening to leak them out to everyone.

But in the case that no one buys or AMD doesn’t approach the hacker in time, she has said that the information will be leaked to everyone for free. Previously, the hacker stated that the files will be secured with passwords that would be handed out to select individuals but this time, she is stating that the information would be available to everyone.

While the original Github repository where the information was first shared has been removed by the open-source site since AMD filed a DCMA request against it. The information was also reported by the hacker to be found back in November 2019 and there might be a possibility that these are not the only three GPU source codes that have been hacked and mined out of AMD’s servers.

In November 2019, I found AMD Navi GPU hardware source codes in a hacked computer,” the person explained. “The user didn’t take any effective action against the leak of the codes.” – Torrent Freak

This is definitely bad news for AMD as not only was their GPU IP stolen but also with such ease. The information would put its current and next-gen GPUs at risk from a competitive and security stand-point and it remains to be seen what comes out of the entire situation.

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